Sango's lessons with Miroku continued (due to much prodding by her bunk-mate and Kagome), and while she absolutely refused to show him the extent of her knowledge, her pride would not allow her to be dumped on her behind. It was an awkward balance, between winning and losing everything.

Unfortunately, that wasn't all that was wrong. Tensions were growing in Green Haven, and everyone was the worse for it. Inuyasha grew even more irritable, snapping at all who came near him – even Kikyou. She, however, snapped right back at him, though that only made it worse. Arashi had burnt several meals in the past fortnight, which concerned Sango greatly (when she was there to be concerned).

Between the hunting party and her lessons with Miroku, she hardly had a moment to spare. Shinnosuke was strained, he smiled little and laughed less – this was the norm for all in the party. Most of the meat they brought back was smoked and stored for later. Trips to the villages were rare, and many men brought their families into the woods to stay. This only caused further distress, because the fewer families that were in the villages, the fewer contacts they had (and the more mouths to feed). Eventually Nazuna, a young woman who worked as a waitress in one of the local pubs, was the only contact they had left.

Everyone was looking over their shoulders, and sentries no longer went out alone. This would have been understandable except that it wasn't. No one was saying anything, (at least not to her). That worried her more than anything. When she asked Umeko about it, the young woman just laughed awkwardly and went back to weaving bandages (another bad sign in and of itself). All in all, Sango was sick of it – especially the not knowing. So not quite a sennight later, when Kikyou returned to Green Haven, she marched out of her own hut and into Miroku and Inuyasha's shared one. Kikyou and Kagome were also present, and all four of them were seated around the tiny wooden table when Sango burst in. Miroku stood, and smiled.

"Is something wrong?" he asked carefully. Her face was stern, more so than was usual for the introverted young woman.

"Obviously," she said. "It's pretty hard to miss, with everyone flinching about, and I want to know what it is!"

"What makes you think you need to know?" Inuyasha snapped. Kikyou placed a hand on his arm, and the growl in his throat died out. She looked at Sango oddly, as if sizing her up.

"I live here," Sango replied curtly. "And it's difficult to fight an enemy you don't know. Unless I, too, am considered a threat, then I think I deserve at least that knowledge. And if I am an enemy, then –"

Miroku stepped forward, placing himself between the half demon and the frustrated young woman.

"You are no enemy," he told her. "Walk with me?"

The Friar spoke as they walked out of Green Haven (staffs in hand) and into the woods.

"You know already of Inuyasha's past. But it is my past- the past I share with him – that is of greatest concern right now. I met him the day his mother died, after he had been chased through these woods to my home. I offered him sanctuary, being the madman that I was. I was no more than fifteen," he added absently. "Hardly old enough to call myself a man, let alone make a decision like that. But I did nonetheless. That was for years ago."

'He's a full nineteen, then,' Sango thought mildly, reflecting that she was, herself, nearly seventeen. Miroku continued, and she continued to listen.

"However, that is not our problem. Sango, may I ask you something – a clueless man's question to a woman?"

"I suppose…" she agreed warily, waiting for him to say something lecherous. She'd smack him, when he did.

"Would you say that, as a whole, the clothing of our inhabitants is well made? A fair fabric, with fair stitches?"

Raising her eyebrows in surprise, Sango thought for a moment.

"Yes, I suppose so."

"Very well. And the other day, when we got all of that rain, did the roof of your hut hold up?"

"Yes…"

"And what about tools? Not jut for building, but for cooking and healing as well. Are we doing all right?"

"Yes, yes," she replied, now very lost. He smiled.

"Where do you suppose we get the money for all of this?"

They walked in silence for a few moments, before she admitted to being stumped. He smiled even wider.

"Follow me."

---

They ventured deeper into the woods, closer to the long trail that wound through the Sherwood Forest. It was a quick shimmy up a tree, and then they settled down on a pair of sturdy branches to wait for…something.

"What're we doing?" she asked quetly, and he put a finger to his lips, gesturing for her to look to the road.

"There are a great many fat, rich lords in Nottinghamshire, Sango. And also a great many people who can hardly afford to eat every day. It's a wide margin, with very few in between. What we look to do is rectify this."

As he spoke a huge man, dressed finely, trotted up the trail on a solid looking dun mare. He was old, almost thirty, but his blue eyes were sharp.

Not sharp enough, however, to note the red shimmer in the bushes.

Inuyasha was on the trail in a flash, sword drawn, a fierce scowl etched into his features. The mare shied away from him, and the obese man cried out, trying and failing to steady the horse. He fell, and the beast rushed into the trees. Miroku hopped down from the tree to catch and calm her.

Meanwhile, Sango's eyes were locked on the show beneath her. Shinnosuke, followed by a number of other men, strolled out of the bushes with a smile.

"Good day to you, sir," he said politely. "I do believe that it's much to warm out for you to be covered in such finery. Let us help you."

He stepped forward, but the hapless noble simply slapped at him and swore. Another young man, whom Sango recognized as Shikako, shook his head.

"Come on, mate. Either we help you, or Inuyasha 'ere helps you. We're nicer than him, trust me."

Inuyasha stepped forward, sword at the ready. The victim paled, and nodded rapidly.

"Aye, I'll comply."

"That's what we thought," Shinnosuke said. And with that, he, Shikako, and the other men divvied up all that he had, save for his breeches. Miroku appeared back in the tree, and the now disgruntled man looked into the woods to see his horse – now adored with only a saddle, blanket, and bridle – step out. She was still unsure of Inuyasha, but the hanyou sheathed his sword, and stepped out of the way.

"Off with you then," he snapped. The group melted back into the forest.

"Toss it, Friar!" a voice called.

"Beneath us!" he shouted back. Someone muttered 'us?', but obviously wasn't too concerned, because he simply took the bags and left.

"You see, now?" Miroku asked. Sango looked at him in awe.

"You…you're thieves?"

"We've been over this, my dear Sango. There are an uncountable number of thieves living at Green Haven. Also, two murderers, four deserters, and six – no, seven now – tax dodgers. We can make no living as honest men, so as you can see, we do it dishonestly."

She raised an eyebrow.

"This is how you can afford your lovely fabrics, I take it?"

He nodded.

"If it makes you feel better, we only keep a third of it. The rest goes to villagers, to help them pay their taxes." Miroku jumped out of the tree, and held up his arms.

"Now, to me!"

She shot him a withering look, and went to slip out of the foliage herself – and slip, she did. Fate, being the cruel, vindictive bitch that she is, sent the young woman straight into the Friar's waiting arms. Sango flushed as he helped her to her feet, but did not release her. His hands settled at the small of her back, and his eyes settled on hers.

Her blush deepened at the intensity of his gaze. He was looking through her, tearing through the brambles and nettles around her and staring at the raw nerves inside. She braced her hands against his chest to push away, and hesitated. Sudden memory of their wager flooded her, and she went cold. Then warmth sprouted in her chest, and she wasn't sure she wanted to make him let go. His look was overwhelming her. It was beyond the colour of his eyes. It was the feeling that fueled him, and she didn't quite understand what it did to her (or even what it really was). She wasn't sure if it was a terror or a thrill, but she didn't get time to decide. He leaned down, and her eyes went wide.

"So this is what you meant by 'us', is it? I shoulda known."

Miroku stopped, barely an inch from her lips, and she remembered herself. She pushed against him, and stepped away fast. She didn't recognize the speaker, a demon who looked…sort of like a squirrel? Or maybe a dog…

"Hachi!" the Friar cried with a forced smile. "Why'd you come back – forget something?"

Hachi shook his head.

"I dropped off those bags, and was on my way to speak to Nazuna when I heard your voice, Friar. I thought I'd come see what you were up to. My apologies for interrupting."

Sango's blush, which had barely faded, flared again.

"It was nothing!" she cried. "I should go help Arashi with supper."

She hurried off, wanting to be as far away from Miroku and this unsettling new feeling as she could possibly be. It was a terror, for sure, not a thrill. She had heard that kisses were bare nothings, hardly worth a thought – but that hadn't felt like nothing. It felt more like toomuchtoofasttoogood. She shouldn't have let go like that. He probably thought she was some kind of tramp now…Her inner monologue running at full throttle, she missed the sounds of a squirrel/dog/thing in pain.

---

"Sango! Wait!" he cried. She glanced back at him, and then looked away. Nevertheless, she stopped moving. He caught up with her fairly quickly, and stopped her when she made to start again towards camp.

"We can talk here." he said gently. Sango sat down on a rock, and he set down beside her. He failed to notice – or ignored – her still present blush (though it was quite faint now), but didn't miss her little scooch away from him. Miroku sighed, feeling like a cad.

"I –" he started. "Look, I don't want to hurt you."

His voice was firm, even if he didn't feel it. He felt like such a brute, now. Everything about her behaviour had been egging him on, but all of a sudden…this. She hadn't even slapped him, which was even more puzzling. If she had slapped him, he wouldn't be so confused. But she hadn't, and he didn't know what that meant.

Sango didn't understand either, but there was another thing he didn't know. So he kept on, trying to fix whatever he had done. Or was it what he hadn't done? Should he have kissed her despite of Hachi? No, somehow he knew that wasn't it.

"There's no pressure. If you want to forget the whole wager, we can, Sango."

She stiffened. He thought that little of her? She had her honour, and a wager was a wager. Keeping her voice steady, she stood and answered.

"No. I will pay my debt, just…" she faltered, pausing, "just not now."

And for the second time in less than a full moon's turn, she ran away from him. Away from herself.

She found Kagome quickly when she reached camp, and pulled her aside. The young woman had a small hut near the main one, which she shared with Kikyou when they were here. With much mumbling and fussing and beating around the bush, she told the younger woman what had happened. She would have gone to Umeko or Arashi, but they thought so little of this! When she finally got the whole story out, Kagome rubbed her friend's back.

"You're all right, Sango. There are worse men to fancy, for certain."

"Pardon?"

Kagome smiled.

"He's a decent man. Though, I have to admit, this is a tad out of character for him…" she said with a little frown. "But nonetheless, he doesn't hit his women, and if you've told him none I can promise he'll leave you be. I can understand why you might fall for him."

"I've probably just caught a cold," Sango told the girl firmly. "Or it was a head rush from falling out of the tree. I certainly don't fancy the Friar."

And then she deftly changed the subject, telling herself all the while that Kagome was most certainly wrong. They talked late into the night, long after Kikyou returned. Late enough, that is, that Sango tossed some straw into the corner and slept there that night, rather than waking Umeko with her return. Even the Lady stayed awake, though she didn't speak much with them. Mostly, she listened. Sango was glad for the company – it helped her ignore the nagging voice that told her Kagome was right.

Yet when the false dawn rose, and she returned from the privy, she saw Miroku leave her hut. Umeko stood at the doorway, her robe held closed with one hand. Both looked pleased.

Bile rose in her throat, and she could ignore the voice no longer.

---

Well, that was fun. I honestly hadn't planned this chapter this way. In fact, all the stuff I had planned for this chapter will have to go to the next one. This story is just running with me, now. And I have to thank Rae, who is currently my new BETA. All of my chapters and stories, whether I say so or not, are dedicated to two people, Rose and Kitty, but Rae has taken on the immense challenge or tearing apart everything I write, and putting it back together into something good. Kitty used to do this, but we decided it would be better if someone who didn't mind ripping my work apart would be best. So let's all thank Rae for giving this a try!

And speaking of dedications, this chapter is for Aamalie-chan. My dear, if you cannot get the chapter of D from Corisu, then OA is more than fine X3

But until then, two can play at the bribery game. Here's my proposition: I'll hold off Miroku and Sango's kiss until D (or OA) is updated.

So please? Because you luffle me? And this update didn't take months? -puppy face-